Lions' First Game Of Post-Ben Johnson Era Went Exactly As Predicted

For the past three years, the Detroit Lions have been the envy of teams everywhere. Their offense is a well-oiled machine, racking up points in spurts. A big part of that is the impressive collection of talent they've assembled. Jared Goff distributed the ball to a bevy of playmakers behind one of the NFL's best offensive lines. However, many felt the true source of their success came from the man on the headset. Ben Johnson came out of nowhere as an offensive coordinator. He was a non-decript position coach for years. However, Detroit gave him an opportunity, and he transformed it into the best offense in franchise history.

Everybody knew Johnson would leave eventually. Such coaches are always in high demand. Still, when the news broke that he'd accepted the head coaching job in Chicago, Lions fans were optimistic. They felt his replacement would still have plenty to work with. The offense would be fine. Fast forward to opening day, and those feelings might've been misplaced. The Green Bay Packers 27-13 humbled Detroit at Lambeau Field. The score wasn't even that close, as the Lions didn't score their touchdown until the game was out of hand.

The alarming part of the loss wasn't just the scoreboard. It was the mental errors and the constant losing at the line of scrimmage. Goff was sacked four times, and the rushing attack managed just 46 yards.

Losing Ben Johnson may have hurt even more than expected.

Keep this in mind. His offense in Detroit scored 15 points or less in a game four times across three seasons. This is the same group that routinely put up three or more touchdowns every time they faced the Packers in previous years. The only thing that changed was the coaching. Now maybe it was a fluke. Perhaps the new scheme needs time to shake out. That can happen. Still, many of the issues present in that loss never happened under Ben Johnson. They didn't do the little things right. Details were missed. Small mistakes led to bigger ones. These were all things he harped on constantly with a competitive obsession. With that benefit gone, it is hard not to wonder if Detroit's window for a title closed.